How YOU can support our Troops

I went to Wal-Mart today and had to park at the far end of the parking lot. As I walked past the multitude of cars I always look at the back of the car to see how many people still show thier support with a yellow ribbon or bumper sticker. These cost around $3.00 at nearly any store. There was ONE CAR other than mine that showed any kind of support at all. This is heartbreaking. At the beginning of this war, EVERYBODY had something on thier vehicle, house, yard, and any where else you could possibly show your support. THIS WAR IS NOT OVER!!!!!!!!! So why have Americans quit showing thier support? I cant answer that question. I live with this war every minute of every day, wondering and worrying about my sons who are deployed at this very minute. Please find a way to show your support, I know you havent forgotten, and if you have, please watch the following video, it should remind you of what these soldiers and their families sacrafice to protect each and every one of you. Its simple to show your support, buy a sticker or a magnet, send a care package, fly an American flag at your home, write a letter to the troops, put a yellow ribbon pin back on you blouse, or anything else you can do to show your support. DONT FORGET ABOUT OUR TROOPS! THEY NEED OUR SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of us know someone who is currently deployed or has been deployed in the past. My son is gone on his second deployment right now. Knowing someone personally makes it easy to support them, but for those of you who dont know someone deployed, there are other ways to support the troops. If you enjoy crafting, as I do, You should find the following links very useful.

As hard as it is to imagine, there are deployed soldiers with little or no family support. These soldiers do the same job as the other soldiers and deserve the same support system. If you have the financial means to ship a care package 1 - 2 times a month, then adopting a soldier is a great option for you. I am also adding a link for purchasing a one time care package. Yes just one care package can make a difference in a soldiers life.

I will continue to research more sites like this one. Im sure they are out there, Im just having a little trouble finding them. This is great support gesture. Nothing says home like the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. If you like to bake, bake a few extra and send them to this group to be distributed to the troops.

You can recieve free flat rate boxes to ship care packages, home made treats or hand made items in. These boxes have a flat fee for shipping that can save you quite a bit of money. Most packages ship by wieght, these do not. You can order flat rate shipping products from the link below and pay only shipping to you. Yep, thats right, thier free, you only pay shipping.

List of Needed Items (Direct to Soldiers)
AA Batteries
Air Fresheners
Anti-bacterial gels
Baby powder
Baby Wipes
Beef Jerky/Slim Jim's
Black socks
Blank post cards
Board Games
Body Powder (Gold's, baby, etc)
Books (nothing of questionable taste)
Bug Spray
Canned Cheese
Cards (playing)
Chewing Gum
Chewing Tobacco
Chex Mix
Chips
Cigarettes
Cigars
Coloring books (post office said people are sending them)
Contact Solution
Copenhagen (dip)
Cotton Balls
Crackers
Crossword/Word find Puzzles
Dental Floss
Deodorant
Disposable Cameras
Disposable Razors
DVD Movies
Envelopes
Eye Drops (Natural Tears, etc)
Feminine Hygiene products
Fly Swatters
Foot Powder
Fragrance Spray
Gallon size resealable plastic bags
Granola Bars
Hand Sanitizer (with Alcohol)
Hard Candy (jolly ranchers, etc)
Ink pens
Insoles (cushioned)
Instant soup
Lip Balm (chap stick)
Lollipops
Magazines (nothing of questionable taste)
Men's Health Magazines
Mints
Mouth sprays
Nasal spray (Ocean's Nose spray)
News Magazines (Time, News and World Report)
Newspapers
Noxema face pads
Nuts
Packets of sauce like you get at fast food places
Paper (for writing letters)
Paperback books (nothing of questionable taste)
Peanuts
Pillows
Pop Tarts
Popcorn
Powdered Gatorade
Pretzels
Protein bars
Protein powder/shakes
Puzzle magazines
Q-Tips
Ravioli (pop top cans)
Sanitary Napkins
Shampoo
Shaving Cream (can be a problem w/the post office; try to find a gel or non-aerosol type)
Shower Puffs
Single-serve propel or koolaid mix for bottled water (Do NOT send water)
Small packs of fruit
Snacks that can stand the heat
Soap
Summer sausage
Sunflower Seeds
Sunscreen
Sweetened Kool-Aid
Tampons
Thick Black Socks
Tissues, travel size
Toilet Paper (SOFT)
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Trail Mix
Travel games
Tums, Imodium, etc
Tuna (single-serve pouch)
Twizzlers
Tylenol, Advil, etc
Vacuum Sealed baked goods
Velcro (all sizes - but only in black or green)
Video Games
Vitamins
Warm Black Gloves (for winter only)
Waterless Hand Wash
Wheat thins or other crackers

Items in BOLD are the most wanted.

Additional Thoughts:

Remember that the things you send will have to be carried and possibly put in pockets. Please send small bottles and packets.
Postage stamps are not needed. Soldiers that are deployed can send letters back to the states for free. Letters going to a deployed Soldier only require a first-class stamp.
Please do not send anything liquid (water, juice, Gatorade, etc.). It is very heavy and will increase the cost of postage. It can also bust and ruin the rest of the box. Send dry drink mixes (pre-sweetened) instead. The Soldiers get water from their unit and can mix it when they get it.
Please DO NOT send canned goods. Not only are they too heavy, but Soldiers are not always in areas where they can cook the food or sometimes even open the cans.
When sending reading material, be VERY careful of the content. The culture our Soldiers are in is very different than ours. We want to leave the local residents with a good impression of our Soldiers and country. We do not want to offend them in any way. Things that don't offend us could be offensive to them. Please do not include religious materials. The religious beliefs overseas are different from ours and we do not want to offend anyone. Chaplains provide our Soldiers with the materials they need/want.
Please do not send any articles of "civilian" clothing like t-shirts, etc (exception is black socks). The Soldiers can only wear their uniforms.
Items that have pork or pork products in them should not be sent. It is against the Muslim religion to consume pork. Although our Soldiers can eat the items, we want to respect the local culture, religion, and customs.
Please always include a card or letter with your goodies, with your name and address and email address if you have one so the Soldier can send a note of thanks.
Lastly, THANK YOU!!! The Soldiers and families truly appreciate everything you are doing to show your support and concern.